Alexander wurts



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A. WURTS. ELECTRIC ARG INTERRUPTBR.

No. 434,166. W Patented Aug. 12, 1890.

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No. 434,166. Patented Aug. 12; 1890.

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1 a b D wzilzesses UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALEXANDER WURTS, OF PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO THEWESTINGHOUSE ELECTRIC COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

ELECTRIC-ARC INTERRUPTER.

SPEGIFICATICN forming part of Letters Patent No. 434,166, dated August12, 1890.

Application filed December 7, 1889. Serial No. 332,963. (No model.)

lenoids when traversed by currents. The cores To aZZ whom it mayconcern.-

Be it known that I, ALEXANDER WURTS, a are mounted upon guide-rods h712, extendcitizen of the United States, residing in Pit-tsing throughsuitable supports 70 70 They burg, in the county of Allegheny and Stateof are employed for short-circuiting the dis- 5 Pennsylvania, haveinvented a new and usecharge-plates cl (1' 01 when a current of ab- 5 5ful Improvement in Electric-Arc Interruptnormal strength tends to flowto the earth ers, (Case No. 333,) of which the'following is across thearcs established by lightning-disa specification. charge. This isaccomplished by means of The invention relates to the class of devicesthe contact-plates m and m carried upon the employed for protectingelectric circuits and ends of the respective cores and brought 6oapparatus from currents of abnormal strengh, against the correspondingcontact-plates n n such, for instance, as are liable to follow a a whenthe cores are drawn into the solenlightning-discharge by reason of thecurrent oids. The plates a and n are respectively of the dynamo flowingacross the are estabconnected with the plates cl and d", and the Ilished by the lightning-diseharge. plate a is connected with the plate dor di- 65 The invention consists in providing a norrectly with theearth. When a current passes mally-interrupted path to the earth acrossthrough the solenoids, drawing the cores forwhich thelightning-discharge passes and inward, they will be thrown against theconterposing an apparatus which will be brought tact-plates, thuscompleting short circuits into operation by the flowof current througharound the spaces between the discharge- 7c that path to momentarilyprovide a closed plates, short-circuiting the arc and causing it circuitaround the normally-open or interto be extinguished. The plates at n M,howrupted circuit. ever, are placed a sufficient distance beyond Theinvention will be described more parthe solenoids to allow the cores tobe thrown ticularly in connection with the accompanybeyond the neutralposition with reference to 75 ing drawings, which illustrate a generalorthe solenoids, so that they immediately draw ganization of apparatusfor carrying out the forcibly back from the contact-plates, thusinvention. interrupting the shunt-circuit which has been Figure 1 is afront elevation; Fig. 2, a lonestablished. This causes the flow ofcurrent gitudinal cross-section; and Fig. 3 is a transto cease, sincethe arcs at the lightning-ar- 8o verse section. rester D will not bereestablished except by Referring to the figures, A represents a anotherstroke of lightning. suitable source of electric currents, and L L It isevident that each solenoid, core, and main-line conductors leadingtherefrom. A short-circuiting device may actindependently 3 5work-circuit is represented at WV, containing of the other it but oneside of the circuit has 85 a converter C. Any desired number ofconreceived the lightning-discharge or but one verters may be connectedin the circuit. are is formed at the lightning-arrester.

Between the lines L and L and the earth E A cushion or butter 0 may beprovided for there are included conductors a a leading each core nearthe contact-plates n n 07,

40 t0 the dischargeplates d d of the lightning- I claim as myinvention-- 90 arrester D. The third discharge-plate d is 1. Thecombination, with the main conduct connected with the earth at E by theconductor ors of an electric circuit, of a discharge-circuit, a. Alightning-discharge upon the line L or discharge-plates interposedtherein, a nor- L or both of them, will pass to earth by waymally-interrupted short circuit around the of the conductor a a and thedischarge desame, and a circuit closing and opening de 5 vice D. p vicefor said normally-interrupted short cir- There are included in theconductors a a cuit controlled by said discharge-circuit, subsolenoidsor electro-magnets 6 6 These are stantially as described. provided withmovable cores or armatures g 2. The combinatiomwith an electric circuit,

5 9 which will be drawn into or toward the soof a lightning dischargedevice interposed 10 between the earth and sonic point in the circuit, anormally-broken short circuit around the lightning-discharge device, anda closing and opening'device controlled by the earth branch circuit,substantially as described.

3. A protecting device for electric circuits,

consisting of a lightning-discharge device designed to be interposedbetween the earth and the circuit to be protected, a normally-broken IOshort circuitaround the discharge device, and a device for closing andopening the break in the short circuit connected in series With thelightning-discharge device, substantially as described.

I 5 4. In a protecting device for electric circuits, the combination ofthe discharge device D, consisting of the plate (I and the two plates (1(1 connected with the respective conductors a and (t the solenoids 6 60011- nected in series therewith, respectively, and the normally-openshort circuit around the device D, and the device for completing theconnections of said normally-open short circuit controlled by thecurrents traversing the 2 5 said solenoids, substantially as described.

5. In a device for protecting electric circuits, the combination of anormally-interrupted earth-circuit and a solenoid connected in seriestherewith, a core or armature for said solenoid, and contact-platesconnected with the respective sides of said normally-inter ruptedcircuit and located With reference to said core or armature beyond theposition of neutral attraction, substantially as described.

6. In a device for protecting electric circuits, the combination of thesolenoids e e and movable cores g 9 the contact-plates n,

72 and n, placed beyond the position of neutral line of said solenoids,and the dischargeplates d cl (P, with Which the plates n n n arerespectively connected, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto subscribed myname this 4th day ofDecember, A.

ALEXANDER WURTS.

\Vitnesses:

FRANCIS PETTIT MANN, JAMES W. SMITH.

